Dallastown rumbles past South Western
All week long, Dallastown coach Kevin Myers preached to his team the importance of playing 48 minutes.
His players certainly seemed to get the message on Friday, putting together the team's first dominant performance since Week 2. The Wildcats outgained South Western 388 yards to 133 on the way to a 35-7 victory that pushed their record to 6-1 on the season.
Senior running back Zion Devance delivered 149 rushing yards, helping the Wildcats control the tempo by picking up 24 first downs. He also scored three touchdowns to help Dallastown coast to a bounce-back victory after last week's loss to Northeastern.
“Last week we got upset, and that made us want to win that much more. We came out hungry," Devance said. “We had great blocking up front. We’re working together as a team and it’s working for us.”
The Wildcats also got a big push from their linemen on defense, holding the Mustangs to 76 yards on the ground. South Western's only score came on a 65-yard sprint by Delunche Shaw, when he showed off the speed that made him the league's 100-meter dash champion on the track last spring.
“It always comes down to if you have a good offensive and defensive line, you’re going to win a lot of football games," Myers said. "Our defensive line may not be very big, but they’re strong and they’re quick. Offensively, we’ve got some horses in there and we feel pretty good about what we’ve got.”
Rodney Scott and Mike Sparks supplemented Devance's efforts, each rushing for more than 50 yards and a touchdown.
The Wildcats also showed no signs of the penalty and turnover problems that plagued them early in the season. They didn't turn over the ball and committed just three penalties.
“I think this reaffirmed to the kids that we can still come out here and play good, solid football," Myers said. "We’re still in control of our own destiny. The next three weeks are big.”
Dallastown faces New Oxford next week before games against Central York and Red Lion that will mean a lot in determining the YAIAA Division I champion. Dallastown and Central York are tied for second place in the division with one loss each, while undefeated Red Lion sits in first place.
South Western, meanwhile drops to 2-2 in divisional play. The Mustangs switched starting quarterbacks this week, going with Sean Wolfe for the first time. They also saw top lineman Bubba Carbaugh leave the game with a leg injury, continuing an unfortunate trend. Starting lineman Kaiden Gaylord and Evan Raubenstine are already out for the season with knee injuries.
“It’s Week 7 now; kids have to step up and play," South Western coach Damian Poalucci said. "We’ve missed those two guys since Week 2 and 3, and we played Central very tough and some other teams very tough. There comes a point when you have to man up and play and do what you’re coached to do fundamentally.
“We just didn’t have a great night. Sometimes that happens. I told the kids I was disappointed. We need to play better than what we showed tonight. That’s just what it comes down to. I think we’ve kind of back-tracked a little bit in terms of effort.”
South Western_0_0_7_0_—_7
Dallastown_7_14_7_7_—_35
First Quarter
D -- Mike Sparks 7 run (Drake Pew kick), 4:38.
Second Quarter
D -- Rodney Scott 2 run (Pew kick), 10:32.
D -- Zion Devance 19 run (Pew kick), 3:17.
Third Quarter
D-- Devance 11 run (Pew kick), 8:50.
SW -- Delunche Shaw 65 run (Wes Sneeringer kick), 8:40.
Fourth Quarter
D -- Devance 12 run (Pew kick), 7:34.
_SW_ D
First downs_6_24
Rushes-Yards_23-76_50-313
Passing_6-16-0_8-12-0
Passing Yards_57_75
Total Yards_133_388
Punts_5-31_3-35
Fumbles-Lost_1-0_2-0
Penalties-Yards_1-10_3-30
Rushing — SW, Drew Hartlaub 2-5, Sean Wolfe 6-(-18), Delunche Shaw 10-98, Thaddeus Davis 1-1, Teian Moore 3-7, Wes Sneering 1-(-17). D, Zion Devance 14-149, Rodney Scott 15-74, Mike Sparks 11-54, Elijah Lloyd 1-(-8), Dillon Callahan 2-5, Nyzair Smith 7-39.
Passing — SW, Wolfe 6-16-57-0. D, Sparks 8-12-75-0.
Receiving — SW, Brandon Zumbrum 2-7, Hartlaub 1-4, Shaw 2-41, Moore 1-5. D, Nathan Downey 2-28, Connor Moore 1-6, Max Teyral 1-13, Scott 2-19, Ben Ward 2-9.